Kozhikode police to roll out new traffic master plan

The police have begun discussions to expedite the implementation of a new traffic master plan for Kozhikode city in coordination with various government departments, following rising complaints about recurring traffic snarls and a shortage of personnel for manual regulation. The plan will propose the introduction of intelligent traffic control systems and modern parking solutions, similar to those successfully adopted in several developed cities.

A model of the proposed master plan, prepared with inputs from traffic police officers and other stakeholders, was recently presented by Deputy Commissioner of Police Arun K. Pavithran at a district-level meeting chaired by Inspector General of Police (Traffic and Road Safety Management) S. Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar. The meeting, attended by District Police Chief T. Narayanan and other senior officers, reviewed the suggestions of department heads and discussed strategies for smoother traffic flow, improved road safety, the development of model roads, and innovative funding options for traffic modernisation projects.

“The master plan will be finalised with technical support from experts at the National Institute of Technology, Calicut, and is expected to receive backing from the Public Works department (PWD), the District Planning Committee, and the Kerala Road Fund Board,” said a senior police officer who attended last week’s review meeting. He added that the initiative also aims to address last year’s alarming figures, which recorded 315 fatalities from nearly 5,000 road accidents in Kozhikode district.

According to recently retired police officers, a new traffic management plan has been long overdue to address shortcomings in adaptive traffic control systems, modern signalling practices, surface markings, cautionary lights, AI-based surveillance cameras, and the realignment of accident-prone junctions. They said that the shortage of funds for these basic requirements should be resolved through the cooperation of all government departments and planning agencies concerned.

“In the coming days, the city must migrate to adaptive traffic control systems, which adjust signal timings based on real-time traffic flow. This could be piloted at key junctions such as Mavoor Road, Eranhipalam, and Thondayad,” said a retired sub-inspector from the Kozhikode City Traffic unit. He added that the realignment of problematic junctions should also be a top priority.

Experts who participated in the recent district-level discussions also identified the creation of additional satellite parking facilities in the city and its suburbs as a priority. The police sources said the issue could be effectively addressed once the modular parking plaza projects under construction and the proposed smart parking facility on Kozhikode Beach are completed.